2013 Amsoil Engine Masters Challenge Complete Event Wrap-up

Popular Hot Rodding magazine, along with AMSOIL, has hosted the Engine Master Challenge (EMC) annually – pitting the best against the best – in a competition to see who can build the most powerful, efficient engine. This year was no exception, however, it was a year unlike any other. This year’s introduction of the four-valve Modular Ford engine to the competition proved to be a game-changer, which dominated the field.

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Placing in each of the top 3 slots, the Ford engine was popular among builders, and proved to be the most powerful. After seeing 40 teams, and 29 engines, take to the dyno, it was Jon Kaase Racing who took home the win. Kaase Racing brought a 409ci Ford four-valve modular Cobra engine that cranked-out a peak 721 hp with 675 lb-ft of torque. With a combined two scores for 2961.7 points, the Jon Kaase Racing team dominated the competition.

3/11UNOH unloading area, students mounting the 409ci Boss 429 from team Almost Kaase onto the SuperFlow/DTS Dyno cart

Throughout the competition, held at the dyno facilities of University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) October 7-11, 2013, only three engines “did not finish” (DNF). The first was on Tuesday when Wise Performance Engineering’s Oldsmobile fell to a gasket failure.

The second engine failure came Wednesday with R.M. Competition’s 436 ci Ford, which suffered an internal water leak. A third team, Traco Engineering, was unable to compete due to a problem during shipping. The engine was onboard a train that derailed en route to the EMC. Luckily, the Tuesday time slot was quickly covered by SKMFX and the EMC continued on.

All-in-all, this year’s AMSOIL Engine Master’s Challenge was a huge success. Day 1, sponsored by the University of Northwestern Ohio, featured Throttle Performance’s 428ci Pontiac engine with an impressive 738hp at 653lb-ft of torque.

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Day 2, sponsored by Automotive Racing Products (ARP), showcased Accufab Inc.’s 401ci four-valve Modular Ford that squeezed 736hp at 664lb-ft of torque. Day 3, sponsored by Rottler Precision equipment, was highlighted by Greg Brown Race Engines’ 435ci LS-Engine with an impressive 741hp at 676lb-ft torque, while Day 4, sponsored by the School of Automotive Machinists (SAM), was blown-away by Jon Kaase Racing’s 409ci four-valve Modular Ford that cranked out 720hp at 666lb-ft torque.

Finally, Day 5, sponsored by Competition Induction Design (CID) featured the top-five point leaders from the week with each team battling for the trophy. Jon Kaase Racing took home the 2013 AMSOIL Engine Master’s Challenge win gaining 45.2 points on its initial score with a final pull of 721hp with 675lb-ft. Everyone here at Popular Hot Rodding would like to congratulate the Jon Kaase Racing team for a fantastic win. Also, to all those who competed, we’d like to thank you all for participating and giving us another great year of the EMC.

Be sure to check-out each day’s coverage with images, video, and full specs on each engine.